Replacement gasket for refrigerator doors and the like



June 15, 1954 H. w. JARROW REPLACEMENT GASKET FOR REJFRK7ERATQRw DOORS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 8, 1952 Patented June 15, 1954 REPLACEMENT GASKET FOR REFRIGQ ERATOR DOORS AND THE LIKE Harry W. J arrow, Chicago, Ill. Application January 8, 1952, Serial No. 265,400

. 4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to gaskets and more particularly is concerned with a replacement gasket for refrigerator doors.

It is essential in the construction of refrigerators, storage chambers and the like that the doors and openings. thereof be gasketed to prevent the loss of cold air and the entrance of the heated Many diflerent designs and configurations of gaskets are used. Generally the gasket comprises a beading or edging of some rubbery material secured to the periphery of the door edge and adapted to be sandwiched between the door and the door frame when the door is closed. The gasket is usually intended to be compressed, and thus may be resilient, yielding, etc. In many cases various kinds of lips, ridges, and the like are formed for cooperation with the door frames in some manner.

The yielding nature of these gaskets gives rise to considerable wear long before the door or any other part thereof requires replacing and hence the service of such doors by gasket replacement is frequent. Where the configuration of the gasket is not simple, or where the gasket is constructed so that the door must be taken apart in order to replace the same, replacing the gasket is expensive and annoying. Furthermore, where only a small part of the-gasket is worn, it is wasteful to replace the entire gasket. In such cases, it has been customary in the trade for the serviceman to cut away the beading at the worn spot and merely replace the same with a short length of replacement gasket.

This invention relates specifically to this type of replacement gasket and the principal object is to provide such a replacement gasket suitable for securement in place of the removed portion of refrigerator door gaskets which is more securely applied than those of the prior art, and which provides a joint incapable of gathering dirt and debris.

A further object of the invention is toprovide a replacement gasket which has an undercut, generally triangular cross section groove giving rise to a tapered lip readily engaged upon the web of the gasket being repaired and secured thereto with continuous pressure to form a tight and permanent joint.

Other objects of the inventionlie in the construction of a novel and improved replacement gasket which is suitable for use in connection with many diiferent types of gaskets and which will render efficient insulation service for the installation.

Many other objects of the invention will appear View of a fragment of the originally installed gasket.

gasket is Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 except that a section of the heading of the said gasket has been removed.

Fig. 4 is a similar view except that the section which has been removed has now been replaced by a short length of the gasket of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a'sectional view through the door along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 and on an enlarged scale showing the manner in which my replacement associated with the original gasket.-

Fig. 6 is a sectional View through a refrigerator door merely illustrating another type of gasket which can be repaired by means of my replacement gasket.

Referring now, to the figures, the reference character I 0 is used generally to designate my new gasket. A short length of the same is illustrated in Fig. 1, it being understood that I may produce same in long lengths or rolls for use by the service man. It is intended that the desired length be severed and used as necessary. The gasket member I0 is formed as a bead or molding having a generally semi-circular cross section. The base I l is intended to engage the edge of the refrigerator door, and the rounded top 12 is free to engage the door frame when the refrigerator door is closed. If desired, the rounded top portion may have elongate ridges IS in order to form a better seal when the door is closed, but these are not essential. V

The gasket member may be made of extruded rubber, either natural or synthetic, or of any other rubbery substance. When the word rub: her is used hereinafter, all of such equivalents will be intended. Although not essential, I pre fer to form the gasket member with a skin or jacket 14 of vulcanized rubber or the like andv a core I5 of some spongy material such as sponge rubber. In this manner the resilience required bead 22 mounted on 3 is present but the outer surface which receives the worst wear is tough.

In one lower corner I provide a groove it running the entire length of the gasket member and formed therewith. It will be noted that the grove I6 is triangular in cross section, and hence the groove is undercut with respect to the rounded top E2 of the gasket member l0. Thus, considering the base H as a horizontal reference plane, the vertical wall ll of the groove 18 extends upward a substantial distance, while the lip !8 formed by virtue of the groove l5, practially meets the horizontal reference plane. This lip is thus quite resilient, being tapered due to the undercut arrangement of the groove :6.

The entire bottom, including the groove it, of the gasket member iii is preferably covered with an adhesive 19. I prefer an adhesive, well-known commercially as Dri-Back cement, which is normally dry and is soluble in rubber solvents such as carbon tetrachloride. The adhesive is applied to the gasket member iii during manufacture thereof and the service man merely moistens the same with a suitable solvent to cause same permanently to adhere to glass, wood, metal, etc. The adhesive 59 may be of any type, and can even be omitted from the lengths of gasket lib during manufacture. Thus service personnel using the same may apply some adhesive during replace ment.

The groove IE serves to engage uponthe web of a gasket being repaired to a simple corner joint which will not readily gather dirt and debris and which will be smooth and neat appearing. The fact that the groove is undercut enables the gasket E to be applied with the lip 18 under permanent pressure tending to press the same against the web of the repaired gasket at the weakest point of engagement This provides a clean and tight joint.

,In Fig. 2, I have showna portion of a typical refrigerator door 23 having. a rubber gasket 25 mounted thereon. 7 Note that the gasket has a the edge of the refrigerator door 26, an integral web 23, and an integral flanged portion 24. the edge of the web 23 are engagedbeneath a metal plate 25 which is screwed or nailed to the inside of the refrigerator door. Obviously, to replace the gasket 2! it would be necessary to remove the metal plate as. The ordinary service man is not trained to do this, and furthermore, it is rare that the entire gasket needs replacing. More often, only a small portion of the bead 22,

which has become worn or frayed, requires re placement.

In Fig. 3, I have illustrated the same portion of door as'shown in Fig. 2, and it will be noted that a portion of the bead 22 has been removed. The Serviceman merely cuts along the web 23 witha sharp instrument such as a razor blade, and then cuts across the bead 22 defining the section he desires to remove. Thereafter he cuts a short section of the replacement gasket member l0 equal in length to the portion of the bead 22 previously removed. I-Ie sizes of the gasket members it. Preferably he chooses a size in which the height of the replacement gasket member I B is substantially equal to 'that of the bead, but the width of which is slightly larger. The gasket-member iil may be formed with a cross section like a somewhat flattened semi-circle, i. e somewhat oval.

The service man moistens the adhesive l9 and presses the section is in place asshown in Fig. 4,

The flanged portion 24 and may have, various 7 gasket bottom adjacent 'one edge thereof; but" undercutting the edge so that the said edge em 5 tendssubstantially to the plane of'the bottom,

with the lip l8 engaged over the web 23. The groove 16 being undercut, the lip l8 will be slightly compressed, but this will cause the joint between the lip and the top of the web 23 to be very tight and unlikely to open. Dirt, moisture, grease, and debris will thereby be prevented from entering the joint. There is another important purpose for the joint [6 to be undercut. The thickness of the webs of various gaskets varies, and hence, the lip 118 can conform to almost any thickness of web in the formation of a tight joint. In Fig. 5, I have shown an enlarged sectional view of the joint resulting from the replacement of the bead section with a short length of the gasket 10.

It is desired to point out that the specific gasket 2| is not the only type of gasket which can be repaired by the use of my new invention. Practically any type of gasket which has an edge bead can have the bead replaced in sections by the use of my replacement gasket. In Fig. 6 I have shown a rather complex type of gasket 30 the replacement of which is quite difficult. The bead 3| of this gasket easily can be replaced by cutting the web 32 in the same manner as described in connection with Figs..2. 3, l and 5, and then installing a section of the gasket In.

It is believed that the invention and its mode of construction and application, as well as its many advantages readily should be understood without further description, and it should be manifest that no intention of being limited is to be inferred from the description of the preferred embodiment. Obviously. wide variations in minor and insignificant details are capable of being made without departing from the spirit of the invention as described in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A replacement gasket adapted to be adhered to a refrigerator door or the like in place of the beading of a permanently'attached gasket which has a web connected to said beading, which comprises, a resilient member having a generally semi-circular section, there being'a groove formed in the bottom thereof at one corner, said groove adapted to provide a lip' for engagement over a gasket web in replacement of the bead thereof, said lip being tapered and highly resilient and ektending substantially'to the plane of the base of the said replacement gasket whereby in applying the said lip toa web, the said lip will require to be compressed to produce thereby'a tight joint. 1

2. A replacement gasket adapted to be adhered to a refrigerator door or the like in place of the beading of a permanently attached gasket which has a web connected to saidbeadinggwhich comprises, a resilient member semi-circular section, there being a groove formed in the bottom thereof'at one corner, saidgroove adapted to provide a lip for engagement over a gasket Web-in replacement'of the bead thereof, the'diameter of the circle formingthe base of said replacement gasket and there being an adhesive on the entire base of said gasket including the groove. I r i V 3. As a new article of .manufacture, areplaceouter skin,. said member' being semi-oval in cross section, forming rounded top and a flat bottom, a groove in the having a. generally a the groove having a cross sectional configuration such that it slants from the root of the groove towards the said end edge thereby forming a narrow wedge-like lip of substantial resilience.

4. A gasket member for replacing a worn out portion of a gasket permanently secured on a refrigerator door, said permanent gasket having a beading attached to a web normally engaged beneath a portion of said door, the worn out portion being in the beading, said gasket member having at least a rubber outer skin and a beading 01" generally semi-circular configuration substantially the same as the beading of the permanent gasket and forming a rounded top and fiat bottom along the entire length of said member, a step in the said bottom adjacent an edge thereof, the face of the step forming an References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 456,058 Poe et a1 July 14, 1891 2,206,717 Dodge July 2, 1940 2,280,254 Nave Apr. 21, 1942 

